Curated, actionable resources for parents and guardians to support and help safeguard children and teens on social media, gaming platforms, and other online environments..
Generative AI Risks and Harms – The Role of Platforms and Users
Generative AI is revolutionizing the way that content is created as user-friendly tools have made their way into the hands of the masses around the world. The possibilities seem endless, and their application may impact almost every sector of society. Since the beginning of time, though, every novel technology suffused with promise also provides an […]
Generative AI as a Vector for Harassment and Harm
As a social science researcher studying trust and safety on online platforms, it is critical to think through potential risks and negative impacts associated with the use of generative AI technologies. To be sure, its potential is incredible – and will benefit societal members in almost limitless ways. In this environment of giddy euphoria about […]
The Metaverse: Opportunities, Risks, and Harms
We have all been hearing about the metaverse much more frequently over the last few years, and consideration of its promises and perils has picked up tremendous pace in recent months. It is being designed by multiple companies to further connect us to each other and to the experiences we love. And it’s doing so […]
Vicarious Supervision: Preventing Problematic Behaviors Online through Positive Parent-Child Relationships
Lately we’ve been more directly exploring the role of parenting in preventing cyberbullying and other online problem behaviors. To be sure, parents* have a responsibility to be directly involved in monitoring and influencing the early online activities of their children. This could mean occasionally reviewing messages and regularly checking security settings, but should also include […]
The Role of Parents in Preventing Bullying and Cyberbullying
Parents and guardians have always had a powerful influence on the behaviors of children, while research is clear that peers tend to have more sway during the teenage years. That said, our new research published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies identifies that certain positive parenting practices have a strong effect on both […]
My Son’s First Phone
I was sitting in the bleachers of my son’s recent hockey practice when another parent came up to me and sheepishly asked: “Does your son have a phone?” “Funny you should ask,” I replied. Coincidentally enough, we gave our son his first full-functioning phone that very day. I don’t think this particular parent knows what […]
TikTok: Pros, Cons, and the Promise of Youth Empowerment
Discusses the pros and cons of TikTok, explores the current controversies, and shares how youth are using the popular app in positive ways. I trust by now that you’ve at least heard of TikTok, the fledgling short-form video app that has been around since 2016 but has exploded in popularity since the beginning of the […]
Helping Families Manage Increased Screen Time During a Global Pandemic
The spread of the global COVID-19 pandemic has created plenty of anxieties for parents trying to balance work and family responsibilities amid ever-changing uncertainties. In this unprecedented time of hunkering down and holing up, parents are relying more than ever on technology to help carry the educational and recreational load. All across the world school […]
The Skinny on Screen Time: Common Sense Over Research (at least for now)
There has long been a fervent debate about the potential impacts of screen time on youth. When our son was born in 2010, the American Academy of Pediatricians recommended no screen time for children under the age of two. The guidelines have softened a bit in recent years, but the group still generally promotes less […]
The Skinny on Sarahah
Sarahah is the latest social media application to create a stir. Simply put, Sarahah is a one-way, many-to-one anonymous messaging system that allows people to send messages to a particular person without the recipient knowing who sent them. These can come from people you know (from those in your phone contacts, for example) or from […]
